Candy Cane Oneshots
by Candaru
Summary: A series of platonic Kai & Zane oneshots; sequel to Fight Me. Probably all 100% fluff and overused cute tropes. (Two Ninja Go To IKEA goes somewhere within the timespan of these fics.) (Oneshot compilation, takes place S2-S3ish, no slash, rated for safety.)
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: To make a long story short… I've gotten so much validation and kind feedback on my Kai/Zane fanfics that I've decided to start a compilation of oneshots for whenever I feel like writing about my boys ;/u/; Be prepared for a lot of random atmospheric stuff, reused and overused tropes, and a whole lot of Touch-Starved!Kai.) (Oh, and fun fact: I had the name "candy cane" picked out as Kai and Zane's platonic ship name WAY before any of you started calling me Candy. But I think that just makes it even cuter X3)

* * *

 _Leaves are spinning_

 _Spring's beginning_

 _No one's winning_

 _It's a new day_

 _Somewhere far away_

 _But I'm home_

 _So here is where I'll stay_

 _Leaves are spinning_

 _Leaves are spinning_

 _Leaves are spinning…_

Kai rolled over in bed, slightly annoyed by the song that was stuck in his head. It was a very pretty song, but even the prettiest of melodies could get really annoying after a while. Especially when you couldn't even listen to the song to relieve the loop in your brain because said song was actually made up by your little sister when she was only three.

A glance at the clock confirmed that it was still very early in the morning— around the time the boys would normally be expected to be up and training, if there was a threat. As things stood now, the Destiny's Bounty was silent, and the room Kai lay in was dark and cold. The last two things were fixable with a simple flame summoned in the wide-awake teenager's hand, but the quiet crackling of a tiny fire was hardly enough to put out the silence. Kai had always been bothered by Cole's loud snoring and Jay's habit of murmuring in his sleep, but for once he kind of missed having to share a room with his brothers. The silence this early in the morning reminded him too much of the times when he was little and had stayed up while Nya slept, scared to death that a robber would break in during the dark hours. The ninja of fire wasn't afraid of robbers anymore, of course— he could take down any number of common thieves all by his lonesome— but the memories weren't pleasant.

"Maybe that's how that infernal song got stuck in my head," he muttered quietly to himself, mostly to be hearing someone's voice. Restless, he tossed to the side again and extinguished the flame in his hand, trying to go to sleep. After lying still for a whole thirty seconds and finding the effort unsuccessful, he sat back up again and glanced at the clock, impatient for it to tell him when he could get up without disturbing the others. _Then again…_

"They're in different rooms," Kai whispered to himself, "they won't hear me as long as I'm quiet." Satisfied with this justification, he climbed out from under his blankets... then, feeling that the air was quite a bit colder than expected, promptly grabbed one and wrapped it around himself. He _could_ have put on more clothes than just the tank top and boxers he had on, but that would have been too much work.

Heading for the kitchen first— if he was up early, he might as well grab something to eat— Kai kept one hand clasping the blanket around him and the other stretched out in front, the tiny flame lighting his path more than was needed.

"Yesss," Kai whispered with a fist-pump, remembering suddenly that there were a few brownies left over from Zane's cooking the previous night. They were completely unhealthy, completely delicious, and, at the moment, completely up for grabs. Sensei Wu had sometimes reprimanded the ninja for eating what he called "non-breakfast" foods during breakfast, but really, who decided what foods were for what time of day anyway?

"Huh…" Kai muttered, trying to unwrap the plate of brownies with one hand. "I could've sworn there were more than this…" He managed to free one of the delectable desserts from its cage and brought it over to the table to be consumed. As expected, it was still as heavenly as the batch the night before had been— and still as warm, too, thanks to Kai's innovative use of the little flame in his hand as a mini oven. As he sat on the table eating (for no reason other than the fact there was nobody there to tell him not to), the red ninja pondered whether or not he should make waking up early a regular routine. It was certainly more freeing when nobody else was awake, that was for certain.

He wasn't near a clock anymore, but Kai knew the time that had passed couldn't have been over ten minutes at the maximum. Therefore, another brownie had to perish to the cause of hunger and boredom while he decided what to do next. Going back for the rest of his blankets crossed his mind, but they would be heavy to drag around, and besides, then he'd have to tiptoe back down the hall, which would be more work.

Suddenly, a single beam of faint light broke through one of the open blinds on the kitchen window. Kai blinked and walked over to it, realizing that the sun must have begun to rise. He hurriedly finished his second brownie and snuck his way outside— not that he was one of those sappy types who loved sunrises or anything, but it was something to do.

On the deck of the Bounty, the sky looked like a dome arched over Ninjago, with one sliver still as black as coal and the opposite side growing ever warmer as fire-red rays broke into the night. Stars still twinkled visibly among the colors, waiting patiently for their turn to go to sleep.

"You're up early."

Kai failed at containing a yelp of surprise as he spun around to try and see who had spoken, although the voice quickly registered in his mind.

"I'm not— I didn't think—" he stammered, looking back and forth. "Zane, where are you?" He dropped his voice to a whisper, remembering suddenly that he was still supposed to be keeping quiet.

"Up here." The ninja of ice motioned to his brother from the top of the mast, which he quickly slid down as effortlessly as if he'd just jumped off a two-inch ledge. Kai froze in surprise, opened his mouth to comment, then quickly discarded the idea, knowing he would never reach the end of Zane's surprises. Instead, he opted to ask,

"What are you doing up so early?"

Zane paused. He hesitated, then responded, "I had a… troubling dream."

Kai frowned. "That is troubling," he said, still using a hushed tone. "I thought nindroids didn't dream?"

"No," Zane affirmed, "which is why I am up. I have been attempting to figure it out."

"Oh," Kai said quietly. "Well… you might've gotten some wires crossed or something. It's probably nothing."

The ninja of ice blinked in surprise, then looked down at his feet. "I… suppose that is possible. At least, I would like to think so." He turned his gaze upward again and locked eyes with Kai. "Now, why are _you_ up?"

"Um," Kai said, slightly distracted by the full force of the morning cold cutting through his single blanket, "I woke up on my own. And got bored."

Zane paused, then smirked. "That sounds about right." The sun rose slowly behind him while he talked, illuminating his features and creating almost a glow about him. In short, he looked like freshly fallen snow.

"Hey, wait," Kai said as something clicked inside his brain, "d-did you have any brownies when you woke up?"

Zane answered that with a simple nod. "I presume you did, as well." Then, changing the subject without a single thought, he added, Are you cold?"

"Hm?" Kai asked, involuntarily tightening the now-hardly-heated blanket around himself.

"Your teeth chattered slightly," Zane stated, and flicked his head towards the front of the ship, motioning for Kai to follow. "Are you cold?"

The red ninja did as he was told, admiri— _looking_ at the sunrise while he followed. "A little," he admitted, "b-but not much. Nothing the master of fire c-can't handle," he boasted. But even to him the brag sounded weak.

Zane sat down quietly facing the sunrise, held out his arms, then looked up at Kai expectantly. The red ninja felt his face grow slightly warm as he realized the offer being presented before him. He instinctively opened his mouth to decline, then mentally shoved himself for doing so. With an air of timidity that _very_ few people were ever allowed to see, he silently crawled into Zane's lap and allowed his brother to wrap his arms around his chest, resisting the impulse to crack a joke or run away.

The last few weeks had been… different. Ever since Zane had figured out the motive behind some of his brother's odd behavior (quite against Kai's wishes), he'd shown the ninja of fire a level of compassion that he was, to put it lightly, extremely unused to. Little gestures of affection— firm clasps on the shoulder, playful headlocks, gentle punches to the arm— had been offered unconditionally and rather often, though they hadn't always been accepted due to Kai's instinct to maintain his image. When the two were alone, the gestures slowly increased in affection; light hair ruffling, casual hand holding, and…

 _This,_ Kai thought anxiously, trying to calm his nerves and push the thought of "what if someone else woke up and comes out?" aside. As welcome— _more_ than welcome— as his brother's embrace was, it was hard for Kai to allow himself to stay relaxed and vulnerable. He'd worked so hard to build up an image of himself that was strong and self-sufficient and fierce, and he hated to think of how gentle he probably looked— probably _felt_ — when he let himself be held like this.

But Zane… Zane had a way of making it easier, somehow. He never asked Kai out loud if he wanted to be touched, he simply held out his hand or stretched out his arms and waited for the boy to accept the affection. And he mostly offered while the others weren't paying attention, such as when the whole group had a movie night and Jay and Nya were making goo-goo eyes and the others had their attention turned to the screen. Those were good nights.

The last of the sun dragged itself from its slumber as the sky was filled with a dim orange light. It would be morning soon, real morning, when the others were waking up and making fun of each other's bedheads and arguing over who stole from the ever diminishing pile of brownies. Kai took a deep breath and slipped his arms out from under the blanket, clumsily grabbing Zane's in his own. The white ninja seemed surprised but not at all unhappy, as he pulled the brown haired boy's back closer against his chest. Neither of the boys spoke a word or moved their eyes from the sky as the last traces of nighttime were done away with. A light wind blew over the scene, like some great painter was blowing on his finished work to dry it.

Through the air, two small leaves fluttered past in the breeze.

* * *

(A/N: Fun fact, I couldn't figure out a way to start this fic and the 'Safe Return' soundtrack from Avatar was stuck in my head. So, that's the song that Nya made up ^_^ Btw, thank you so much to everyone who left reviews on Fight Me and/or Two Ninja Go To IKEA and validated my headcanons and made me want to actually start this compilation! Your kind words mean so much to me! :'3)

(UPDATE: I really didn't think I'd have to yell this anymore... I don't like having to hammer it in, but given a certain review that I got... *clears throat* *stands on top of a rooftop* THIS IS NOT SHIPPING! DO THE WORDS "PLATONIC" AND "NO SLASH" MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?! IF YOU CAN'T READ THIS WITHOUT THINKING IT IS, PLEASE DON'T READ IT. I BEG OF YOU. LEAVE ME ALONE. _PLEASE._ FIND YOUR ROMANCE FICS ELSEWHERE, THERE ARE PLENTY OF THEM OUT THERE. PRETTY PLEASE LET ME AND MY CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE BE. *deep breath* *climbs down from rooftop*)


	2. Chapter 2

(me: since I'm way behind on the show and am currently invested in other fandoms, I'm not going to write any more ninjago fic until I've at least watched season 10

me: *gets one (1) well-written comment from a regular reviewer who actually understands how to ask writers for more fic without sounding needy or aggressive*

me: nEVERMIND I GUESS)

* * *

"Oh, man, I beat you by a MILE!"

"Says you and what army? I bench-pressed over _double_ what you did!"

"Yeah, but I won the race!"

"It's so hot, I don't even care that I clearly beat _both_ of you in the grand scheme of things."

"Ha-ha, very slick, Kai."

The competitive shouts of five teenage boys (well, mostly the same three) rang through the air as Ninjago's heroes climbed aboard the deck of the Destiny's Bounty after yet another intensive training session. Today's had consisted of elemental practice, speed training, and bodybuilding… all in the glorious outdoor weather in the ninety-nine degree heat.

"Hey look, it hit a hundred!" Cole exclaimed, picking up a thermostat that the boys had brought outside specifically for the purpose of being able to complain.

"I told you it would," Jay huffed, speeding up slightly to pass his brother and get inside first.

"Hey!" Cole yelped, breaking into full speed and turning the aggressive motion into a full-on race.

"Guys, no running in the Bounty!" Lloyd cried, running after them.

"A hundred or a thousand, it all feels the same to me," Kai groaned, not even bothering to chase after them. The white-clad ninja beside him frowned.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked. "I've never known you to not join in when the others start to compete, even if it _is_ against the rules." He paused, then donned a teasing grin. "Are you growing into a mature adult, perhaps?"

"You wish," Kai said with a smirk. The top half of his own red gi was tied around his waist, and sweat ran heavier down his brow than any of the others. "I think using my powers earlier heated me up even worse than the sun."

"I highly doubt your elemental abilities can surpass that of the star which gives all life to the planet we live on," Zane teased, poking Kai in the shoulder.

The red ninja yelped. "What the— your hands are ice cold!"

"Sorry. I didn't intend to cool them off _that_ much." Zane smiled, and Kai legitimately couldn't tell if the incident had been an accident or not. "But, really, follow me." With a now pleasantly cool touch, he grabbed Kai by the wrist and started heading towards the bedrooms.

"Yo, Zane, Kai!" Jay yelled, having apparently ran into the kitchen area. "Where'r you going?"

To Kai's surprise, Zane held up his wrist and called, "I'm taking Kai to ice him off! I think he overheated himself with his powers!"

Also to Kai's surprise, Jay nodded and shouted back, "Fine, but don't expect us to leave you any popsicles!"

(Less of a surprise was Lloyd's voice in the background, reprimanding Jay, and saying of course they would save them some popsicles.)

Zane then casually turned to the fire ninja, nodding towards the bedrooms. "Come."

* * *

Kai sat on the edge of the bed while Zane sat cross-legged behind him, placing his cool hands on the hot boy's shoulders. Kai was expecting it this time, but he still shivered at his brother's touch.

"I-I didn't even know you could do that," he admitted.

"It's a trick I have been practicing. I figured it's good for us to practice using our elements in as many ways as we can," Zane replied in his calm, cheerful manner. Then he pressed his thumbs firmly against Kai's back, sending a shock of cold throughout it. He began rubbing in circles, relieving the tense muscles and pushing out the heat all at once. Kai made a small noise, tensing up.

"Is this all right?" Zane asked, increasing the pressure slightly. Kai nodded silently, his body rigid.

"Try to relax your muscles, if you can," Zane instructed, spreading out his hands to cover as much skin as possible. A barely-visible steam actually began rising up, which the android assumed meant his treatment was working.

He worked in silence for a while, rubbing his hands along various parts of Kai's back and arms and occasionally pausing to hold him steady when he began trembling too much. But while he worked in silence, his mind was running through multiple trains of conversation. A few minutes later, he finally spoke up.

"Cole, Jay, and Lloyd did not seem to mind my explanation of cooling you down as much as you seem to think they would have," he commented.

Kai glanced down at the floor almost guiltily. "M-maybe they didn't know what you meant."

Zane shook his head. "I think," he said in a gentle tone, "it is more probable that they simply do not mind the concept of brothers helping brothers in the way you believe they do."

It took Kai a minute to translate what he was saying, but he bit his lip as he did. "I… don't know."

"Kai—" Zane hesitated. He didn't want to push into a sensitive topic, but he also felt strongly about helping those he cared about. "You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, but… when exactly did you start to despise your own need for physical touch?"

Kai sucked in a deep breath and took a few moments before responding. "I… haven't really thought about it, but it was definitely a while ago." His hand started to move up, as if to make sure Zane was still holding onto him, before he forced it back down to the bedside. "I… think it was back in the village— or, near it, anyway— when me and Nya worked in the blacksmith's shop."

Zane repressed his urge to correct him to "Nya and _I"_ and simply nodded for him to go on.

"After our parents passed away, we mostly only saw each other and adult clients, but there were a few other kids who would occasionally come up from the village to play with us or to buy things for their parents who sent them on errands. They had kites, games, and a lot of people, and we had shields and cool-looking armor, so, you know, we were the fun place to hang out. We pretended to be soldiers a lot."

"You didn't play with the weapons, I hope?" Zane asked.

"No, until Nya was older, I made all the sharp stuff and kept it in the back for purchases only. At the time I was just worried about Nya getting hurt, although thinking back on it her presence probably kept the rest of us safe." He laughed a little.

"So, after your parents were gone…"

Kai's face fell again. "Yeah. I guess I hugged Nya a lot— I mean, I still had to rock her to sleep and stuff for a year or two— and I…" he frowned, evidently trying to think back to a time that was either blurry from simply being such a young age or repressed from the memories linked to his parents. "I think I hugged the other kids a lot, too, actually? I don't remember. I'm pretty sure I kissed a girl who wasn't Nya on the cheek at least once, because I was mimicking something I saw on TV, but for some reason I don't remember her reacting strongly. I think she might've even been playing along, reciting lines or something? Whatever it was, it wasn't a big enough deal that I remembered it. But then…"

The brown-haired boy swallowed, and Zane softened his grip, scooting himself a little closer to comfort him.

"Then stuff changed. The group changed a little because some families moved, but even the kids who were part of the original group were different as they got older. The boys sometimes said stuff like… well, they made it sound childish when I tried to hug them, and… the girls started getting uncomfortable, although to be completely honest, I didn't actually know why for a really long time." He laughed nervously. "I sincerely didn't understand why they didn't want me touching them anymore, although I did stop of course, and then it got worse with the boys and so eventually I stopped hugging them too…"

"Did anyone explicitly tell you what you were doing was wrong?" Zane asked, calmly on the outside but internally upset at the boy's recollection of events.

"I don't think so, but everyone always acted weird if I was affectionate with anyone except for Nya. And once, I even overheard an adult talking to _her_ and asking if it was hard that I was 'so needy' since the loss of our parents and mentioning how I was always clinging to her, 'figuratively and literally,' and, well, _that_ messed me up pretty good for a while, even though of course Nya defended me…" He stopped talking, his throat sounding tight.

Zane let out a tiny growl of frustration, which was extremely rare for him. But he had personal ties to the issue at hand. He took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Did you know," he asked, "that when I was little, my father had a quote for people like that?"

Kai turned around just enough to look at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "You mentioned he was… tactile, but I don't think you told me a quote."

Zane nodded. "He told me several times that if affection should be reserved for family only, that we should try to see everyone in the world as our brothers and sisters."

Kai gave a tight smile. "Poetic."

Zane smiled back, old memories resurfacing. "He always has been. Even though he loves to invent, he loves people even more."

"Then why did he live alone in the middle of the woods for most of his life?" Kai asked— then quickly backtracked, "I mean, if that's an okay question to ask."

Zane paused. A thought seemed to occur to him. "I myself do not entirely know the reason. He never spoke much about his past. Perhaps when he gets back from his trip in Ninjago City, we could ask him…" he shook himself out of his thoughts. "However, what I do know is that as a child he had a friend he was very affectionate with, and at some point when he lost that affection it upset him greatly. He took great care when creating me, knowing I would be his main and possibly only source of human contact." The ninja of ice pulled his hands away for a moment to look at them. "He is truly an amazing inventor… he took years crafting me so that I would not only be able to take care of myself, but fulfill the needs of others as well."

"He did a good job," Kai commented without thinking, then quickly looked away. Zane paused and smiled.

"…thank you." He turned his attention towards the ceiling for a few moments, then back to his brother. "My point in telling you this is that you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are. We are _all_ created differently, and while it's perfectly fine to be uncomfortable with human contact, it is also perfectly fine to crave and even need it to a certain degree. Neither set of needs should be treated above the other, and people who require skinship should be able to give and receive it with anyone else who is comfortable."

The room fell into silence once more as Kai processed what Zane was saying.

"It sounds so logical when you say it," he sighed quietly.

"I was created to help those who cannot help themselves. I am actively analyzing the behavioral patterns of others and attempting to find problems I can help solve." He smiled slightly. "But right now, my analysis is that I'm hungry. If it's all right with you, I'd like to go see if Lloyd managed to save us some popsicles."

Kai grinned. "Absolutely." He hopped off the bed, then paused. A look of uncertainty washed over him, but he kept the grin up as he held out a hand nervously. Warmth rose up in Zane's heart and a smile spread across his face as he reached out and took it gently, interlocking his pale fingers with the other boy's.

And the two walked out of the room hand-in-hand.


End file.
